THE WORD BECAME FLESH
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on December 25, 2022 under 2022 |
Bethany Bible Church Christmas Sunday Sermon Message; December 25, 2022 from John 1:14
Theme: The great theme of Christmas is that, in love, the eternal Word became flesh for us.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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Please turn with me to the first chapter of the Gospel of John. It’s not a passage that people automatically turn to on Christmas Day. But it really should be. It’s perhaps the greatest place to go to in order to learn about the Person whose birthday we celebrate today.
In John 1:1-18, the apostle John—who was a disciple that was among the very closest to our Lord—wrote this:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:1-18).
You really can’t understand what Christmas is about unless you know Who it’s about. This passage declares to us the remarkable truth of Who it is that was born on Christmas Day. And verse 14 is the one verse that declares to us—more clearly than any other—why it is that His birth is so tremendously important to us. It says;
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (v. 14).
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You know; there were several years of my growing-up time that I spent never really understanding that. I didn’t really have a clue what Christmas was about.
I knew, of course, that it was an important holiday. Celebrating the holiday was a part of my growing-up tradition. I enjoyed the food, and the decorations, and the music, and the television specials. I loved the ornaments we hung on the tree—some of which Marilyn and I still have. (I used to play with them when my parents weren’t looking.) I remember my dad hanging the multicolored lights out on the front window; and spraying that can of ‘fake-snow’ on the window sills. (I don’t know what that stuff was made out of—maybe of something that’s not too healthy. But I loved the smell of it anyway.) And—of course—the presents. I still remember specific presents from specific Christmas mornings that my brothers and I received. And in the midst of it all, I somehow knew that it was a celebration of Jesus’ birthday. But I never understood what that meant—not really understood it—because no one ever explained to me either who Jesus was, or what it means that ‘the Word became flesh’. No one had ever read this passage to me. No one really told me much of anything.
It wasn’t until the Christmas of 1973—when I was almost 17—that it all really started to sink in. What had happened earlier that year was that I had become deeply burdened by the sin in my life. I knew I was a sinner, that I had rejected God’s rule over my life, that I was lost and was going to hell. But it was in the summer of that year that I watched a Billy Graham Crusade on television. And that was when I first heard the message of the gospel; that Jesus Christ—the Son of God—loved me and died on the cross for my sins. I placed my trust in Jesus Christ in August of that year; and He transformed my life. And then, a few months later, Christmas came. And Christmas took on a whole new meaning for me. It was, for me, a sincere celebration of the birth of the One who came into this world to die for me. It had all become personal.
I can’t express to you enough how wonderful that first Christmas was to me as a newly-saved young man! What I had never understood before, I now understood—and in a whole new light. It was a joyful experience for me; and I found that the other things that used to define Christmas to me—the food, decorations, ornaments, and all the rest—were no longer as important as they once were. I still enjoyed them; but I now realized that they weren’t the substance of what Christmas really means. I had entered into a relationship of love with the One that Christmas Day honors. And more importantly, I now knew what it was that He did on that first Christmas—long ago—to save me.
It’s all summed up in that one verse—John 1:14. Jesus—the eternal Word of God—became flesh. He took human nature to Himself, and was born into the world as one of us. He didn’t stay far away in heavenly glory. He came to dwell among us—in this world of sin and fallenness—as one of us. He was seen, and touched, and talked to, and heard by other human beings. He performed miracles and taught glorious truths. And when people saw Him, they saw the only begotten Son of God—walking around on earth as a man. He came to die on a cross—as a sinless man—for the sins of mankind. And in beholding Him, people beheld the glory and grace of God the Father in human flesh. Through Him, people have discovered that God loves us, and has mercy on us, and shows us the way to eternal life through His Son.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And now—today—I’m convinced that Christmas cannot mean anything even close to what it’s supposed to mean unless God gives us the grace to understand—in a personal way—that we are sinners and that Jesus was born into the human family to redeem us from our sins. Apart from a personal relationship with Jesus by faith, it’s all meaningless sentimentality in the form of songs, and decorations, and glitter, and bargain-basement sales. But with Him—as the Word became flesh—it’s our salvation!
This morning, I ask that we take a closer look at just this one verse. Let’s relish everything it tells us. And as we do, let’s let the true meaning of this holiday be refreshed in our hearts and minds. It’s the birthday of Someone who loves us so much that He became one of us; and all in order to die for us and give to us the birthday gift of eternal life!
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Now; this verse says, “And the Word became flesh …” So let’s begin by asking …
1. WHO IS ‘THE WORD’?
It seems like an unusual name for a Person; doesn’t it?—’the Word’? But it’s a name that is deep with meaning.
Just think of what a ‘word’ does. It gives expression to the thoughts or feelings of someone. It gives substance to something inward. In the original language, the word that is used is logos; and that’s the word from which we get the word ‘logic’. A ‘word’ is an expression of a rational idea. And what’s more, because it’s put in the form of ‘a word’, it makes it possible for that inward thought or feeling or reflection to be communicated to the understanding of others.
‘The Word’, whose day we are celebrating today—is a Person. Look at what we’re told about this ‘Word’ in verses 1-5;
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5).
Brilliant theologians and scholars have written volumes and volumes of books on these few verses. But just consider the basics of what we can plainly know from them. You don’t have to be a brilliant scholar or theologian to grasp these basics:
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First, this “Word’ is eternal. We’re told that He was ‘in the beginning’—before anything else was.
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Second, He is distinct from God in the sense that He was with God. He was in the beginning with God; so He existed with God as a distinct Person before there was anything else.
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But then, we’re also told that He was God. We’re being given a hint of the Trinity in these words. He was a distinct Person from God; and yet, He shared full deity with God. In verse 18, we’re told that He was ‘the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father’; so, ‘the Word’ is God the Son in a deep, eternal relationship with God the Father.
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Then we’re told that He was the One through whom God the Father made all things. There wasn’t anything that exists that was made without Him. This ‘Word’, who is the eternal Son of the Father, is the uncreated Maker of all things.
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And finally, notice that this ‘Word’ has a relationship of great importance to humanity. He Himself—as the Maker of all things—is also the Maker of humanity. And in Him is life; and that life is the ‘light’ of every human being. This speaks of spiritual light; and the darkness cannot overpower that light.
I think that one of the most remarkable descriptions of Who ‘the Word’ is can be found in an Old Testament portion of the Book of Proverbs. Solomon was writing about ‘wisdom’. And in Proverbs 8:22-31, Solomon—under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—’personified’ wisdom and represented wisdom by speaking in this way:
“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men” (Proverbs 8:22-31).
This is given to us as a picture of Who this ‘Word’ was. He existed eternally as the Son of the heavenly Father. He was the delight of the Father; and it was through Him that the Father made all that is. We can’t understand the importance of Jesus’ birthday unless we really understand at least something of Who He is. He is eternal God—the Creator—One with the Father. How wonderful He was in His eternal existence in glory!
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But how is it then that we celebrate ‘the birthday’ of a divine Person who existed from all eternity? That leads us to another question …
2. WHAT DID ‘THE WORD’ DO?
That’s also answered for us in John 1:14. And it’s the most amazing aspect of Christmas of them all. Because we’re told, “And the Word became flesh …”
At a point of time in human history, He who existed eternally as One with the heavenly Father took full human nature to Himself, and—without ever ceasing to be God—became born into the world as one of us. We’re not told that He became “like” flesh. Nor are we told that He was “becoming” flesh. Instead, we’re told that He “became” flesh. God became a man—completely. I don’t pretend to understand this. But I believe it and I marvel at it.
Think of what an act of humility this was!—for the Son of God to set His glory aside for a time and be born into this fallen world as one of us as a full-fledged member of the human race that He had created! In a passage in Philippians 2, we’re told this by the apostle Paul;
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:5-8).
How did this happen? How did God the Son become a man? The Bible doesn’t tell us the details. We wouldn’t be able to understand the details even if the Bible told us! It simply tells us the fact that it happened. When the angel told Mary about it—and explained that the Son of God would be conceived in her womb—Mary asked how this could be. And the angel didn’t give a deep, theologically profound answer to her. He simply told her;
That’s all that we can know. Beyond that, it’s a wonderfully veiled mystery. And the best way to respond to that is not to demand an explanation for it. Rather, it’s to simply believe it.
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But how can we actually place our faith in that? How can we know that it’s true? How can we know for sure that the Word actually became flesh for us? The answer to that question is found in the answer to another question …
3. WHY DID ‘THE WORD’ DO THIS?
And that’s also told to us in John 1:14. We’re told, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …” He did it so that He could walk among us and show that He truly was God in human flesh.
The word that is used in the original language means that the Word ‘tabernacled’ among us; or ‘pitched His tent’ with us. It’s a figure of speech that a Jewish person would have understood well. It meant that He drew close to us and lived where we live.
I believe that the apostle John used that particular word intentionally. It would have made his fellow Jewish readers think all the way back to the Old Testament—and to the story of the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. God had given Moses specific instructions for how to build the ‘tabernacle’—that ‘tent-like’ structure that contained the ark of the covenant, and that became the place through which God identified Himself with His people. And back in Exodus 25:8, God told Moses to pass these instructions on to the people; saying,
“And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).
What a gracious thing this was! The almighty Creator God—the God who had brought such fearsome judgment upon the Egyptians, and delivered Israel from bondage—stooped down in love in order to dwell among them. That’s how they were able to get to know Him.
And that’s what Jesus—the eternal Word who became flesh—did for us. He became one of us in order to dwell among us. He is ‘Emmanuel’—which means “God with us”. People were able to know the Word in human flesh because He lived among them. They were able to walk with Him, eat with Him, talk to Him, hear His voice, learn from Him, be healed by Him, and be loved by Him. The Word—by becoming flesh—was able to draw as absolutely close to us poor human beings as He possibly could. He became so close, in fact, that He was able to have mercy on us because of our sins. He was able to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place.
The Bible makes it clear to us that this wasn’t all done just so that we could celebrate the Christmas holiday. We’re told that the Word became flesh—ultimately—so that He could live in perfect obedience to the Father on our behalf, and die on the cross for our sins in our place. When I first began to realize this—and when the truth of it began to grip my heart—that’s when Christmas really began to mean something to me. It became personal. It became my salvation.
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And that leads us to another question that this passage answers …
4. WHAT DOES ‘THE WORD’ REVEAL?
John 1:14 goes on to say, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” By getting to know this Word become flesh, we get to know God the Father Himself.
Later on, the apostle John—the one who gave us this wonderful verse we’re studying—wrote something about this in the letter that we call 1 John. In the first four verses of that letter, he said;
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full (1 John 1:1-4).
Did you know that there are some philosophers who believe that it is impossible for us to know God? They argue that, even if He existed, God is too transcendent—too distinct and far above us—for us to be able to know Him in any meaningful way. And in a way, they’d be right—if it hadn’t been for the fact that God did something to make Himself known. One of the reasons that ‘the Word became flesh’ in order to reveal God to us. As it says in John 1:18;
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18).
As Jesus Himself says in John 14:9;
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
And what do we see about the Father? We see what Jesus Himself reveals as the only begotten Son of the Father—the unique Son above all others; that He was full of grace and truth. In Jesus, we sinners find abundant grace for salvation; because God sent Him to be one of us in order to die for us. And in Jesus, we find absolute truth; for as He said of Himself,
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
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So; we really cannot understand Christmas unless we know Who’s birthday it is that we are celebrating. And here’s what we’re told;
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth
And what should we do about this? How should we respond? At the other end of John’s Gospel—in John 20:30-31—he wrote this:
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).
That’s what I did. I hope you will too. It’s what has given this holiday the true meaning that it should have.
AE
